Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[jays]

Are both in the parentheses of the following sentence correct?
If they are, is there any critical difference of meaning between the two?
------- the following ------------
Even the sea had (turned/been turned) into fish farms.

[Anuradha Chepur]

If you say had turned into, it is the active voice and the sea underwent the change on its own, perhaps in a natural course.
If you say had been turned into, it is the passive voice and the sea is the patient of the action. Something/somebody has induced the change.

This is the crucial structural difference and a very subtle (non-crucial)difference in the meaning.

The net result, however, is the same.